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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

14 Jan 18

Benjamin Zumbühl

Racism, sexism and intolerance do not need your approval for their triumph. Your silence is enough!

About Donald J. Trump, and the danger of No Billag.

The news hit like a bomb: Donald Trump comes to the World Economic Forum WEF in Davos!

Nobody expected this, neither in Switzerland nor in the USA. Not so long ago, Trump was still raging against the global economic and political elite that meets every year in the Swiss mountains. The "Party of Davos" had to be used in the election campaign as a whipping boy, so that the billionaire in real estate could present himself as a man of the simple people. Apart from that, the global focus of the WEF does not fit in at all with the protectionist policy of Trump. According to his press spokeswoman, Trump only participates in the forum to promote his "America first" policy.

Reactions to this news did not take long. The flood of tweets, posts, statements and columns soon revolved around the question of whether or not to receive a stimulus figure like Donald Trump?

A few hopefuls see a chance in the visit of the egomaniac, who calls himself a "very stable genius", and would like to see Switzerland put into the international spotlight as a result. The reception of the racist, who calls African countries "shithole countries", is intended to make Switzerland look good in front of the world public. This hope can be safely dismissed as naïve.

The diplomatic spokesmen assume that the obvious sexist, liar and climate denier would let himself be dissuaded from his crusade against minorities in his own country and against the rest of the world with a few thoughtful words. Dialogue is the key here, even if Trump shows no willingness to engage in dialogue. After a year of intensive observation, I even dare to say that it is above all a lack of capacity that prevents a serious political discourse from taking place.

These opinions would actually be understandable under normal conditions. But we don't live in "normal" times, and Trump is not a "normal" president. Donald Trump moves on the verge of insanity every day, although it is not always clear on which side he is standing. Expressions such as his demand for a special identification card for Muslims are hard to explain other than with mental derangement!

In his alternative reality, determined by "alternative facts", normality has become obsolete. Normality has given way to madness at the beginning of the election campaign and for the time being, and our dealings with Trump must take this condition into account. There is no longer any business as usual. Those who fail to recognize this close their eyes to reality. We must not allow the new madness to become a new normality. If, out of a dull habit or even moral exhaustion, we shift our ethical standards to fit Trump into the acceptable, we sacrifice everything we have fought for and are still fighting for.

Ultimately, it's not just about Trump and his innumerable mistakes. It is also about our values, which we uphold and stand up for: In our society, everyone, regardless of gender, skin colour, sexual orientation, religion or origin, should have the same unrestricted appreciation. We want to leave our descendants an intact environment and a peaceful, just world. Clearly, the US President is democratically legitimised - but so are our progressive values, the ones he tramples on. Does that really oblige us to hand him a microphone so he can promote his "Fuck You All" policy to us? Aren't we morally obliged to pull the plug on someone who preaches the superiority of the white race and trifles murderers swinging swastika? It is not the case that Trump is taking part in a peace summit with North Korea in Switzerland. Nor will he come to fight world hunger or climate change. On the contrary, he will try to get the best deal for himself and his clients. At the expense of all of us.

Edmund Burke once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." To make that clear again: Racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance and inhuman politics do not need your support for their triumphal march. Your silence is enough.

Well, will you stand up for what is important to you, or will you put your hands in your lap while evil triumphs? Are you ready to take responsibility for your inaction?

If not, join our protest and say together with us and 13,000 like-minded people:

PS: #NoNoBillag = No to Trump. The American nightmare unfolding before our very eyes is largely due to the peculiarities of the American media landscape. Two media camps have been barking up their sleeves for years, and the camp with less scruples and better lies has won the race for Trump. NoBillag is intended to plough up the Swiss media landscape so that it can become a likeness of the American media landscape. So we can perhaps look forward to Bachelor's presenter Joel Herger as future Federal President!

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Campax is a Swiss campaigning and mobilizing organization. Campax leads campaigns of its own about selected subjects, and supports individuals as well as other organizations in the accomplishment of their goals. Campax is a member of the OPEN network – a growing sisterhood of national grassroots campaigning organisations.